


Defend

by PUNKNERD156



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Cute, Drabble, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Gay Ponyboy Curtis, M/M, Prompt Fic, Soft Ponyboy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27892531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PUNKNERD156/pseuds/PUNKNERD156
Summary: Bad boy Curly Shepard saves Ponyboy from getting beat up by Socs while walking to the library. Cue cute and soft Ponyboy Curtis and Curly being completely wrapped around Pony's finger.
Relationships: Ponyboy Curtis/Curly Shepard
Comments: 32
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy, ya'll! This is just a little drabble about Ponyboy and Curly. I love Ponyboy being a soft gay baby and Curly being all tough and mean, but secretly a big softie for Ponyboy only. If anyone has any requests for this ship, I will gladly try and write one.  
> Have a great day!

Ponyboy woke up slowly, cozy and warm with his brother’s arm draped over him. Soda’s snores and random mumbles filled the air. Pony huffed at the glaring morning sun that drifted through the blinds on the window. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep in anymore today. Pony slowly began to wiggle out from under Soda’s arm and tiptoed to the bathroom. 

‘Hmmm… today is Saturday, so that means Darry and Soda don’t have work today, so they’ll probably sleep in. Apparently, Steve crashed at Two-Bit’s place, and Dally and Johnny are probably still sleeping at Buck’s. Maybe I’ll just go to the library before the gang gets here.’ Pony thought as he began getting dressed and greasing his hair back. 

‘It’s supposed to be chilly today…’ Pony began pulling on an overly large dark green sweater with sleeves that went down to his palms, faded jeans, and his normal scruffy Converse. While fixing some loose strands of hair, he toyed with the tips that were still a bit blond. Ponyboy thought that having auburn hair with blond tips may have looked weird, but the rest of the gang said it was hardly noticeable. 

Quietly making his way through the house, he dug out a pad of yellow paper and a pen to write a note for Darry to read saying he was gonna stop by the library for a little and will be home before the gang comes over. It was only about 10 and the gang would only start to wake up at maybe 12. That gave him at least an hour to find a book or two to read as a reward for passing his midterms that took up all his time the past week. 

He put the note on the coffee table where Darry would see it and went off to his favorite place: the library. The air outside was a bit chilly, but not bad and the fresh, cold air made his cheeks flush, and stuff his hands in his pocket. Little brown and yellow leaves were on the ground and Pony began focusing on stepping on the crunchy ones. Only the crunchy ones. Not noticing that his head was in the clouds again made him an easy target for any Soc’s roaming around in the morning. After following the leaves for a little while, Pony almost stepped on a little snail sitting on leaves on the sidewalk just a little bit on the outside of the library’s property. 

“Aww,” Pony cooed and bent down to look at the little snail, “what are you doing all alone? You’ll end up getting hurt if you’re out in the open like this. Here, I’ll help you, little guy.” Unfortunately, Pony was in the exact situation as the poor snail. Unbeknownst to him, a couple of drunken Socs came stumbling up the sidewalk across the road, holding half-empty beer bottles and eyeing the greaser with pure disdain. One Soc nudged the other way and began making his way towards Ponyboy. 

“Hey, grease ball!”

By the time Ponyboy jerked his head up, the larger man had tackled Pony to the ground. Pony fell to the cold sidewalk with a loud yelp. The Soc leaned back with his knees on Pony’s shoulders and grew a nasty grin. 

“Ha, lookit Tommy, a little Grease we can pass the time with, huh?” The shorter Soc giggled an obnoxious hyena laugh and decided to step Ponyboy’s lower stomach, knocking the breath out of him. 

“Hmm…” The Soc on Pony roughly grabbed the greaser’s chin and jerked his head left then right, “This one looks a little too pretty to be a Grease… if not for that gross, greasy hair. Hey, how about we make him look a little tougher…”

Tommy the Soc held down Pony’s legs as the larger one reared back his arm to give Pony the largest black eye of his life. He scrunched up his eyes and turned his head with a squeak.

“Hey, you jack-asses!”

A brown and black blur tackled into the larger Soc, knocking him back onto Tommy with a grunt. Pony quickly scrambled up and a little bit away from the fight that had started. He gave a startled hitch of breath at seeing none other than the infamous Curly Shepard throwing punch after punch after punch at the Socs. Lean, taut muscle moved under his grey shirt and leather jacket. Just watching Curly throw Tommy into the other Soc was enough to make Pony blush. Finally, after throwing one into the other, the drunken Socs quickly hobbled and stumbled away. Panting, Curly turned towards Ponyboy and purposefully strode his way, his dark eyes never leaving Pony’s. Pony’s eyes widened and he started looking around at anything but Curly even though Curly was right in front of him with narrowed eyes. 

“Hey,” Curly’s gruff voice made his way into Pony’s ears, a voice that Pony could definitely melt into a puddle with if he heard it for too long, “You alright? They didn't rough you up too bad or nothin’?”

Pony glanced at Curly and squirmed under the scrutiny, “N-no, I’m fine…”

“You sure? I saw ‘em grab ya…” Curly gently grabbed Pony’s chin to look at it with calloused hands, a stark contrast from the disgusting Soc earlier. Pony felt his face practically go up in flames. He frantically shook his head, finally looking up at Curly, who was a good couple inches taller than him.

“I’m okay, really. Um, thank you, Curly… for helpin’ out and everything.”

Curly’s hand left Pony and was stuffed into his leather jacket pockets. He shrugged, looking around at the still mostly empty street and then noticing the library a little ways away. He stared at Pony with a bored look. 

“You literally came out here, hella early in the morning, for the library?” 

“Hey!” Pony cried out in indignation, “The library isn’t that bad-”

Curly snorted.

Pony huffed and crossed his arms, “Maybe you should just give it a try. Besides, I have to find something real quick anyway, so… thanks for helping, I guess.” And with that, Pony crouched and started sorting through a pile of leaves for that poor snail he dropped. He really hoped the snail didn’t get squished. Curly looked at Pony like he grew three heads. He took out a cigarette from behind his ear and stood next to Pony, watching the boy’s movements. 

“What the hell are you looking for?”

“A snail.”

“...a snail?”

Pony tilted his head at Curly and giggled at Curly’s bewildered expression. Curly’s face reddened and his heart started beating hard at the sweet look on Pony’s face. Now that he was close enough, Curly realized that Pony was… really, really cute. His auburn hair fell in wisps that curled under his ears and framed his face with the slightest blond at the tips, his eyes a deep jade that sparkled in the sun with small flecks of gold, a scattering of light freckles on his cheeks, and full lips that Curly could just imagine kissing. 

‘Ah, shit,” Curly thought. Almost instantly, Curly fell head over heels for the least intimidating greaser ever. A complete baby who gets his head lost in the clouds and picking up damn snails and stupid shit like that. 

“I found him!” 

Curly snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at a grinning Ponyboy holding a small snail by its shell. 

“Isn’t he cute?” Pony shoved the snail in front of Curly’s eyes. The snail looked… like a snail. But the look of pure adoration on Pony’s face made Curly rethink his actions. He offered a tentative smile, “Yeah, he’s-he’s great…” 

Pony laughed and went to put the snail down near a tree. He brushed his sweater down and brushed his shoulders against Curly’s. He smiled up at Curly, “Seriously though, Curls, thank you for helping me and,” a sly, mischievous smile grew on his face, “ in payment, I’ll get you a library book!” He laughed at the look of utter shock on Curly’s face and tugged on Curly’s leather jacket towards the library. As much as Curly knew he wasn’t going to read any damn book, feeling Pony’s tugging on him and a cute smile on his face made him decide to hold his tongue. But after this, he was definitely gonna make the older Curtis brother’s lives a living hell because there is nothing in the world that is going to stop him from making Pony his. 

‘Watch out Curtis Gang.’


	2. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curly decided to walk Pony home and realizes that he definitely wants to do the whole dating thing with Pony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got a couple of comments saying they wanted this story to continue, so I delivered. I don't really have a story plot in mind for this story at all, so I thought this could be a kind of collection of one-shots for Pony/Curly. So, if anyone wants me to add something or make another chapter about something, just comment on what you want to happen and I'll see what I can do!

After spending the past hour or so browsing, Ponyboy checked out two new library books and quickly said goodbye to Curly. 

“Well, Curly, this was fun,” Pony turned to Curly outside the front of the library with a smile, holding securely to his books, “but I really gotta get home now. The Gang is meeting up and there’s no way in hell I’m being late and havin’ Darry ground me again. So, thanks a lot for everything again, really. See you around!” Pony began hopping down the library steps before Curly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, which caused Pony to trip over a step and stumble into Curly’s chest and drop his books. 

“Now, hold on a minute, Ponybaby,” Curly smirked down at Pony’s beet-red face and wide green eyes and placed a steadying hand on the small of Pony’s back, “Allow me to be a gentle-greaser and escort you home, huh?” Curly raised his brows in question.

Pony gave a hesitant smile and furrowed his brow, chuckling lightly, “You… want to walk me home..?”

Curly shrugged nonchalantly and picked up the fallen books, tucking them under his arm, “Sure, why not?”

“I mean…” Pony began walking next to Curly down the steps and slowly towards homes, “you know Darry doesn’t necessarily like you that much… or the rest of the gang for that matter.”

Curly snickered while putting his hands behind his head, “Well, maybe I just wanted to spend some more time with ya.” 

Pony’s heart sped up and he blushed. It seemed like blushing was all he could do when Curly was around him with his leather jacket, and tight shirt, and greased up curls, and sly smirk, ugh. Curly looked at Pony from the corner of his eye and gave a sly smile at Pony’s blushing squirming. As much as Curly loved to watch Pony squirm around- preferably in Curly’s bed- he realized he actually wanted to spend some more time with the little greaser. He started asking questions about the books Pony got and that jump-started a giant rant about the stories, which transformed into a long rant about everything and anything with a little bit of input from Curly. Curly didn’t mind that Pony could talk forever, he enjoyed how animated the boy became, waving his hands around and giggling with expressions that could have been drawn on him.

Slowly the wind started picking up, making both of them shiver. Even with his sweater, Pony felt the wind prick his skin like pins and needles. He tugged down the sleeves of his sweater over his palms and snuggled more into it. Curly instantly noticed when Pony stopped ranting and began shuddering. It was pretty cold now. Curly heaved a sigh and took off his leather jacket, dropping it over Pony’s head. Ponyboy started and scrambled out of it, tilting his head in confusion. Curly thought it was the fucking cutest thing he’s ever seen. Not like he’d ever admit it, though. 

“Put it on, you won’t be cold no more.”

Pony pouted a little, “But… you’ll be cold then…”

“Nah,” Curly gave a sharp-tooth grin, “I’m too hot for all that.”

Pony huffed a laugh and put on the jacket. It was easily two times bigger than him with the end going to his thighs and sleeves completely covering his hands plus some. Curly had to look away before Pony gave him something only a cold shower could fix. He could easily picture Pony wearing only his jacket and nothing else. They started nearing Pony’s street when Pony grabbed onto Curly’s shirt, making the hood stop walking any further. 

“Maybe we should say goodbye here,” Pony started, “I don’t know how my brothers and the gang will react knowing you’re with me. You know they’re not that fond of you.” 

“Psh, they wish they could scare me off.” Curly started walking with confidence towards Pony’s home. Pony hurried to keep up and opened the front gate for Curly. Loud laughter and hoots could be heard from inside. Pony bounded up the step and turned to Curly who waited at the bottom. 

Pony gave a hesitant smile and scuffed at the porch shyly, “Um, thank you, Curly, for everything today.”

A warmth spread throughout Curly’s chest and he smiled softly up at Pony, “It’s no problem, Ponybaby.”

“I guess I’ll see you around, then.” Pony began towards the front door, while Curly watched Pony’s back walk away. He felt aggravated. He knew that if he didn’t ask Pony out, he’d never do it. 

“Pony…”

Pony turned, waiting for Curly to continue.

Curly didn’t realize how nervous he became all of a sudden. He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

“Uh, I was wonderin’ if- I mean, um…” He took a deep breath and looked up into Pony’s beautiful green eyes, “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a-a date sometime… like maybe tomorrow-if-if that’s alright.”

Pony’s heart almost beat out of his chest. He glanced back nervously at the door, hoping none of the gang heard them but decided that he wanted this. He wanted to go on a date with Curly. He wanted Curly to like him as much as he was starting to like Curly. Pony walked back down the stairs and gently grabbed Curly’s hand.

“I would love to, Curly.” Pony then leaned up on his tippy-toes and pressed a kiss on Curly’s cheek. He beamed at Curly and pressed a small book into Curly’s arms before finally leaving for his home. 

A large, dopey grin spread its way across Curly’s face as he started heading back to his place. Looking down, he read the title of the book Pony got him: How to Hotwire a Car and 150 Other Practices For Every Young Wannabe Thug. Curly snorted loudly at this mess of a book. He would keep the book safe for Pony; besides, he already knows how to hotwire a car. Plans started circling through his head, all involving him showing off his toughness to Pony in some way or another and finally showing Pony the crazy fun world of a hood. Particularly involving taking some poor Soc’s mustang out for a spin or two with little Ponyboy in the passenger seat, looking at Curly like the perfect, sexy god he is. Maybe Curly would give the book a skim here or there and brush up on his skills. 

\----

Pony closed the door behind him with a soft sigh and pink cheeks and said a soft hello to the gang and Darry, explaining the new book he got at the library. The rest of the gang all noticed his arrival… and the large leather jacket hanging off of him. 

“Hey, uh, Pones,” Soda started, a little nervous at the look of some strange greaser’s jacket on his baby brother, “who’s, uh, whose jacket is that?”

Darry looked up from his newspaper in his recliner, eyeing the jacket silently. Soda was on the floor around the coffee table with Steve and Two-Bit, playing cards. Johnny and Dally who were chilling on the couch, also, looked over in question. 

Pony looked down at the large and warm jacket that had the lingering smell of cigarette smoke, rich cologne, and something that could only be described as Curly, and smiled. He practically floated to his room with a giddy smile.

“Curly lent it to me.”

The whole gang perked up even more at that, already not liking the idea that the one and only Curly Shepard was hanging around Pony for any amount of time. But, none of them could say anything in return because Pony finally made it to his room, shutting the door with a sharp click, and left the gang perplexed and more than a little worried, especially the older Curtis brothers, who shared a concerned glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!!! Remember: To continue this story, please comment on what you wish to happen or anything like that and I'll do my best! Have a good day!


	3. Outfit Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pony needs Johnny's help with choosing an outfit for Pony's date coming up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO, YO! So. First of all, thank you so much for the comments and kudos, I love all of them! Second, some updates: I don't really have a plot in this fic, but I would like things to be in chronological order at least - like them meeting, then a first date, second date, etc. No hate or anything- I will definitely write every suggestion ya'll give, but I'll do it depending on where it is in a chronological sense. ALSO: This chapter is super short because I wanted ya'lls opinion on Pony's outfit and his date with Curly. Do you guys want: Normal Pony, Cute Pony, Or Hot Pony? AND, one more thing, I am ALL FOR sexy prompts or suggestions, but I am unsure how early sexy times are in a new relationship like Pony and Curly's. If you want sexy times, I'll do it; I just wanted to know what everybody else thinks before I write anything. Okay, sorry it was so long, continue to the story!

Ponyboy bounded about the house with barely restrained excitement and the only two members watched him run around. Sodapop and Steve had already left to take on some extra shifts at the DX station, and Darry did the same with his roofing job. The only people in the house were Two-Bit and Johnny, both on the ratty and scruffed up couch. 

“What’s the rush, Pones?” Two-Bit grinned as he watched Pony contemplate between two outfits-wait, nope, it’s three now- “Got a hot date or somethin’?”

Johnny’s eyes widened and his eyebrows went under his hair in question and looked at Ponyboy for an answer. Pony tensed up and stammered, holding the clothes close to his body.

“What?! No, of course not! I would nev- I mean, why would you- Just- Shut up, Two-Bit!”

At a quick pace, Pony all but ran to his room and slammed the door shut. Now Two-Bit’s eyebrows were raised and he gave a low whistle. 

“Wow, he is freakin’ out about somethin’,” he glanced at Johnny, who was looking at the spot where Pony was intensely, “You know something about all that?”

Johnny shook his head no, “No… but, I’ll go check on him.” He said quietly and got up to follow his best friend. Two watched him go for a bit, and then shrugged and turned on the TV for Mickey Mouse, nursing a lukewarm beer he found under the couch. 

\----

Johnny slowly opened the door to Pony’s and Soda’s bedroom to find Ponyboy still deciding between three different outfits and running his hands through his ungreased hair. Pony glanced up as he heard Johnny step and sit on the desk chair and thumb through a book on the desk, but continued with his decision making. A couple of silent minutes passed before Johnny spoke up.

“Are you actually going on a date?”

Pony looked up and stared into Johnny’s eyes for a minute, debating on telling him anything. Johnny’s large, dark eyes stared back innocently. Ponyboy sighed- he couldn’t say no to his best friend- and, to be honest, he’s been dying to tell someone about Curly. A shy smile grew on Pony’s face and he squealed quietly, “Yes, I am…. With curly!”

Johnny raised his brows, “Curly?!”

“Yes, Curly. Curly Shepard. From the Shepard’s Gang. Curly…. And, I. Am. So. Nervous,” Pony scrambled over to Johnny and grabbed his hands, “Please, Johnny, don’t tell the Gang. I don’t know how they’ll react, and with my luck, it would involve me grounded forever and never seeing Curly or the light of day ever again!”

Johnny rolled his eyes and looked at Pony fondly, “You are so dramatic, Pones, I’m sure Darry will only ground you for a couple of years, maybe.”

“It’s enough for me to die of boredom, Johnnycakes, death is no joking matter. Also, I need your help with something.”

Johnny put the book down and looked at the pile of clothes on the bed and floor and then back at Pony, “You need help picking out an outfit?”

Pony sighed in relief and looked at Johnny hopefully, “I knew you would help me out, Johnnycakes. So. I need help ‘cause I have no idea what style to go with.”

“Style?” 

“Yes, style!” Pony lifted up three different outfits, “This first one is saying ‘I-am-a-normal-greaser-doing-normal-everyday-things’.” The outfit was Pony’s normal fit of Converse, jeans, and a form-fitting black tee with a varsity jacket from track. Johnny eyed it critically, then nodded for Pony to go on. Ponyboy put the second outfit up in front of Johnny, saying “This one says I- am- super- cute- and- I- am- in- desperate- need- of- a- strong- man- whose- name- is- Curly- Shepard.” He had light jeans with small holes in the knee, a large baby blue hoodie, and a white belt, so he could tuck in the sweater and make his waist a little bit more noticeable. Johnny looked and nodded again. 

“Okay, so this last one is a maybe, I’m not really sure ‘cause I’ve never worn something like this. I asked one of Soda’s ex-girlfriends about it and she said this was what to do, so.” He held up some black skinny jeans with holes in the knee and thigh area, black fishnets to go under them, a black crop top with the sleeves cut off, and a red flannel. 

Johnny looked at Pony in confusion. Pony huffed and tossed the clothes back on the bed.

“Well?” Pony questioned, “Which one should I go with? I’ve never been on a date before and I don’t know if I should go normal, or cute, or hot because Curly is like hot all of the time, no matter what, so I need help, Johnnyyyy.”

“Okay, okay, calm down, jeez,” Johnny placed his hands on Pony’s shoulders in an attempt to calm down his over-dramatic friend, “How much time do we have until the date?”

“A couple of hours…”

“Okay, listen. We’ll figure it out alright, but first, you need to chill out, okay?”

Pony nodded dejectedly with a pout. 

“Okay, first, how about we weigh our pros and cons over some food… if that’s okay.”

Pony laughed and started dragging Johnny towards the kitchen, “Johnny, you know Darry doesn’t mind if you eat something. Besides, you’re right, I have some time to spare until Curly picks me up. But, Johnny, you gotta promise me not to tell the Gang or anyone, okay? Not yet, at least. Pinky promise, dude.” He looked at Johnny with large doe eyes and held out his pinky. 

“Yeah, alright,” He hooked pinky with Ponyboy’s, “but, you gotta promise me that if he does somethin’ weird or makes you upset I’m allowed to tell the Gang.”

Pony rolled his eyes with a long sigh but agreed. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll tell you. Now, c’mon, Darry made some chocolate cake this morning and we still have a lot.” He dragged Johnny to the giant chocolate heaven that was in the fridge, hoping to kill time in its sugary depths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and remember: comment on what you want in the story and I'll do my best to write it!


	4. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curly and Ponyboy go on their first date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the awaited date chapter!!!! This one is way longer than any of the others, so there's that. Also, a little bit of angst, heeheehee. I love angst/whump so much, so if anyone has a request for that, I would love to hear it. Enjoy!

While they were eating, Dally, Steve, and Soda all came home. Dally had just woken up from a drunken stupor at Buck’s, and Sodapop and Steve were told to go home early considering there was practically no one at the station that day. Dally and Steve both plopped on the couch and accepted the beers Two-Bit had provided. Soda went to the kitchen to see Ponyboy and Johnny whispering to each other over a piece of cake. 

“Hey Pony, hey Johnnycakes! What are you old ladies gossiping about, huh?” He asked with a wide smile and ruffled both of their hair to their indignation. Pony and Johnny looked at each other and seemed to communicate with only their eyes. 

“Nothing much, Soda,” Pony grinned back innocently, “We’re just chilling, talking about school and stuff.”

Soda nodded gravely, but then quickly pulled his brother into a large hug and smiled at Johnny, who was just watching what was happening, “Yeah, Johnny, did Pones tell you about how he’s got all A’s and is the captain of the track team, AND the midterm paper he wrote was apparently the best in his whole grade!”

Pony blushed under his brother’s praise, “Soda, I’m not captain yet, I still have to do try-outs for it.”

Soda rolled his eyes and made Johnny chuckled, “Whatever, kid, you’ve got that crap in the bag already, I know it!” He grabbed a bite off of their plate and went into the living room for the daily card game everyone played. Everyone joined in, even Johnny and Pony until Pony checked the clock on the wall and sucked in a breath. He threw down his cards and raced to the bedroom. Everyone stared as he left, but slowly went back to the card game- sometimes, Pony was just weird. 

Pony, meanwhile, was completely freaking out. Curly called earlier in the day and told Pony what time he was picking him up, and it was almost time! Pony quickly decided he wanted to do something a little different than him wearing something he always did. Curly was never boring, so Pony thought he shouldn’t be either. He threw on the fishnets, ripped black jeans, adding a black belt to show off his waist, and the black crop top. He decided against the flannel- he didn’t want to look like any ol’ greaser or the little nerd he was, he wanted to look the part of being Curly’s date. Putting his arms through Curly’s leather jacket, he put his good black Converse and dusted a soft glitter over his eyes, nothing too crazy, just enough. Checking the clock and out the window to see if Curly was there yet, Pony sped back to the living room and sat heavily onto the recliner while nervously bouncing his leg, too nervous and lost in his head to notice the gang gawking at his clothes. 

Soda’s mouth was hanging open as he stared at the absolute trash on his brother’s body. Where did Pony even get any of that stuff, anyway? 

“Pony, what are- why are you-” Soda floundered for a bit, completely unsure how to handle this, “What ya doin’, Pones?”

Pony looked up and was about to answer, but a quick knock on the door cut through the air before he could. Pony gasped and scrambled up, fixing his ungreased hair to look a little more fluffy before practically ripping open the door and calling out “I’m going out, don’t wait up, tell Darry I’ll be home before dark, love y'all, bye!” And with that, he slammed the door shut. Instantly, the entire gang ran over the large window in the living room, peeking through the blinds. There was Ponyboy jumping into fucking Curly Shepard’s arms like it was something that was normal. Soda’s gasp rang through the whole house, how dare that hood to touch his baby brother like that? He especially did not like the heated gaze he saw Curly run down Pony’s body. He, also, really did not like the black mustang next to the curb, a mustang that Curly definitely stole from under some stupid Soc’s nose. The gang all watched as Curly opened up the passenger door for Pony to duck in, and proceeded to hotwire the car to drive away. 

They all made their way back to the couches and the card game, but after a while, Soda muttered “Darry is gonna be pissed.” The rest of them all nodded quietly, all thinking about how screwed Pony was going to be when he came home. 

\----

Curly could not believe how fucking attractive Ponyboy looked at that moment. Those tight jeans hugged Pony’s legs, thighs, and his ass looked delectable in them. The crop top allowed Curly to see Pony’s thin waist and fit stomach, and his jacket hanging off of him made Curly want to just devour him right there. Curly could feel his face heat up at the thought that something of his was all over Pony. Don’t even get him started on the hair, so soft and fluffy looking, and the glitter on his eyes made them seem even more bright and pretty than normal. 

Pony could not believe how fucking attractive Curly looked at that moment. Even though Curly’s clothes were simple, they made him look very good-looking and very masculine…. And dominant. His hair was in his standard style, with his soft curls tousled and messy; he even had a dark stone earring in one ear and a small hoop in the other, making his bad-boy image a lot more pronounced. His dark shirt hugged his body, showing off all the lean muscle underneath, it was enough to make Pony blush. And, of course, there were his jeans that very clearly showed his large bulge that made Ponyboy almost drool. 

“So, Curly,” Pony started, looking at Curly, “What exactly are we gonna do today?”

“Well, I know a place we can go to for dinner later on, but we still have a couple of hours until then. What do you wanna do, Ponybaby?”

Pony blushed at the nickname and hummed as he started thinking about fun things to do in such a small town. It wasn’t too cold outside, but it was a little chilly. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he wanted. 

“We should get hot chocolate!”

“Hot chocolate?”

Pony nodded excitedly, and began talking at an incredible speed, “Yep, hot chocolate! There is this really great cafe type place in town and everyone at school says that they have really good drinks and snacks and things like that. And because it’s a little chilly out, I thought it would be nice to have something warm….” The smile left his face and he began to feel insecure at the lack of Curly’s input. 

Curly glanced at Pony from the corner of his eye and tried to cheer him up, “Hey, hey, doll, it’s cool. I just- I don’t think I’ve had hot chocolate in a long while. Haven’t really had any time to stop and think about getting some sweet drink, but… if that’s what you want, we can drive over there for a bit.” Curly placed his hand on Pony’s knee and he rubbed his thumb against him. 

Pony looked at Curly, thinking it was a little sad that Curly hadn't had something that held a lot of comfort for people. Curly’s home life was very different from Pony’s- Pony had a lot of support and comfort in his life, but Curly- Curly obviously didn’t have that. Pony put his hand over Curly’s and gave him a soft smile. 

“I’ll be with ya, Curly. I, for one, can make the BEST hot cocoa, so if you don’t like the one at the cafe, I’ll make you one.” 

Curly blushed and gave a little smile. They began driving the backroads into town- police were probably looking for the mustang they were driving- and they talked and talked about anything and everything. Pony absolutely adored Curly’s smile, his real smile. Curly wasn’t the type to grin with happiness, but he did smile and laugh a lot with Pony and Pony loved every moment of it. Curly loved Pony’s laugh, he could listen to it forever, so he made sure he was telling the best stories and jokes he could, just so that he could hear that laugh that was like music to his ears. 

They finally got to the cafe, a quaint little shop that, for some reason, also sold vinyl records. Walking in, Pony instantly loved it there, the smell of coffee was strong and the sound of rock music hung through the air. Curly, however, was on guard, making sure no Soc’s or any other assholes messed with them. 

“C’mon, Curly, over here!”

Pony took hold of Curly’s hand and took him over to the counter and ordered two medium-hot chocolates, one with extra chocolate and caramel drizzle. Curly didn’t want anything added. Pony took a long sip of the drink and melted, leaning on Curly’s side. Curly stiffened and looked down at Pony’s happy face. Curly cleared his throat and looked away, embarrassed, but slowly placed his arm around Ponyboy’s shoulders. The smaller greaser just grinned up at Curly and asked for a sip of Curly’s drink. 

“Eh, it’s not as sweet as mine. Try some.”

Curly leaned down and took a small sip of Pony’s drink and almost immediately spit it out. It was beyond sweet, it was some sugary form of torture. 

“Oh, my God, Pones, what the hell type shit is that?” 

Pony looked at his drink confused, “What do ya mean? It’s yummy to me…” 

“That’s like pure sugar, I have no clue how you’re chuggin’ it!”

“Oh, please,” Pony countered, “Your’s has only the basics. I bet you’re the type to drink only black coffee like some old man.”

“Of course I do, it’ll put some hair on your chest! I bet you’re the type to put all of the sugar in your coffee and do that coffee art shit people in the city do.”

“Yep, you’re right.” Pony quickly scooped a generous amount of whipped cream on his finger and put it on Curly’s nose, then ran away laughing back to the car. Curly spluttered and wiped it off, taking chase immediately.

Outside, Pony was trying to reach the car door, but he wasn’t fast enough. Curly had shoved Pony against the side of the car and leaned his face close to Pony’s. 

“Where the hell do you think you’re goin’ after a stunt like that, huh?”

Pony whimpered when he breathed in Curly’s smell, a mixture of expensive cologne and cigarette smoke, so close to him. Curly grinned when he heard it. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout, Curls…” Pony looked up with half-lidded eyes, pupils dilating. 

Curly hummed and leaned in closer, putting his mouth almost on Pony’s ear, making the boy squirm, “I think ya do and I know exactly how to have you make up for it, baby.”

Pony whimpered again after hearing the pet name and felt the hot tendrils of arousal in his stomach. Curly opened the passenger door and ushered Pony in before starting up the car and leaving for a new spot. 

“I know just the place, sweetheart.”  
\----

Curly pulled the mustang into the decrepit parking lot of Buck’s. He opened up the door for Pony to step out of the car and help the young greaser out. Pony looked at the rowdy building suspiciously, unsure about the whole idea of spending time at Buck’s and Darry finding out. Curly noticed the unsure expression on Pony and tried to comfort the boy.

“Hey, doll, it’s alright,” He threw his arm around Pony’s shoulders and rubbed his arm, “What’s the matter?”

“I-I just… Darry always told me to never go to Buck’s, that there was too much ‘negative influence’ and stuff.”

Curly snickered and leaned down to look at Pony more closely, “Do you always do what Darry says? Always making sure to be a good little boy that always does what he’s told?”

“What? No, I don’t!” Pony crossed his arm in aggravation. 

“Oh, yeah? Well, then, prove me wrong, baby Curtis.”

Pony narrowed his eyes and huffed, “Fine, I will!” He took off the jacket, threw it in Curly’s smug face, and sashayed into the building, making sure everyone saw his midriff and tight jeans. Curly grinned wolfishly. Corrupting the little greaser was turning out to be a fun game. Following Pony, Curly placed his hand on Pony’s lower back, guiding him to the pool tables in the back of the room full of cigarette smoke and the smell of cheap booze. 

“You can pay me back by tryin’ to beat me at some pool, but I have to warn you, I am the best out of my whole gang.” He gathered up two pool sticks and organized the balls in the center of the table. 

“I’ll go first, Ponybaby.”

The pair continued to take turns shooting and Curly was surprised when Ponyboy seemed to be able to keep pace with Curly’s level of skill until it was about to be the end of the game. It was Pony’s turn to go and he got in position, leaning over the table, which made a lot of other patrons in the bar stare and appreciate Pony’s ass. Curly glared at each one and made them all turn tail. Looking at the table, Curly doubted Pony could actually get his in one shot, but before he could think about it, Pony aimed and hit the ball, causing it to bounce off every side of the table, making Curly scoff at the lack of skill. He was about to tease him until he saw Pony’s last ball stop ricocheting and slowly make its way into a hole, causing him to win the game. Curly’s jaw was slack, he could not believe that actually worked. 

“What-how the hell did you do that?”  
Pony laughed hard, doubling over at the look on Curly’s face. 

“Curls,” Pony wheezed, “Technically speaking, a lot of this game is based on geometry and angles and things like that, you just have to think about physics and how it applies to the ball. I’m in AP Geometry and physics and have all A’s in that class. It wasn’t that hard.”

Curly was even more gobsmacked, but then gave a lopsided smile and laughed heartily. 

“Only you, baby, only you could have thought of that,” He strutted over to Pony and pulled their hips together and leaned his forehead onto the other’s, “And, I think it’s hot how smart you are, you could pull the bags straight over my eyes, if you wanted.”

Pony giggled and put his arms around Curly’s neck, “Maybe, but I wouldn’t do that to ya. Wanna go another round?” 

“Alright, as long as you give me a winnin’ chance.” 

\----

By the time they were finally done, the sun was starting to do down a little, and Curly thought it was the perfect time to get started on dinner. 

He ushered Pony back into the car and they began driving. 

“So, Curls, what are we doin’ now?”

Curly smiled brightly over at Pones, “It’s time to get some dinner, doll. I know a great place!”

They pulled up beside a street full of different restaurants, the smell of different foods in the air, making the both of them salivate. 

“Over here.” Curly grabbed Pony's hand and led him down a small, empty street beside one of the restaurants. Curly knocked a quick pattern on the back door and an older Hispanic lady opened the door. 

“Ah, Charles, my little tesoro! What brings you all the way here, huh?” She grinned, grabbing his face in hers, kissing his cheeks. As he opened his mouth to answer, she looked behind him at Ponyboy, who was shifting nervously and wrapping Curly’s jacket around him tighter to not seem rude towards the lady. She gasped and shoved Curly out of the way to grab Pony’s cheeks and stare into his eyes. 

“Ooh, Charles, I see you brought a new one. He is very Hermosa, much better than the other ones.” She turned to Curly and raised an eyebrow towards Pony, “You better take care of this one, eh, Tesoro?”

Curly had a faint blush on his cheeks and Pony’s face was completely red, but he did not forget his manners. 

“Um, hello, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you. And might I say, I love your hair, it’s beautiful.” He politely shook her hand as she squealed and pulled him into a large hug.

“Charles, he’s positively lovely. Such a sweet face and kind manners, you better not throw a good thing like him away, you understand me, young man?”

Curly cleared his throat, “Um, sorry for arriving on such short notice, but I was wondering if you could, you know…”

The lady laughed and made her way to the kitchen, patting Curly’s cheek in the process, “Of course, I know exactly what to do for you and your date. Go sit, sit!” She winked. 

“Um,” Curly rubbed the back of his neck, “this way…”

Pony giggled and let Curly take him into a dim, but cozy Mexican restaurant with only a few patrons scattered about. Curly pulled out Pony’s chair and took his jacket like a proper gentleman. 

“Wow, Curls, I didn’t know you were so popular with the ladies.” Pony smirked. Curly blushed again and chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, well… um, they make great food here, so I thought you’d like it… and there aren't a lot of people, so we won’t be bothered here.”

An assortment of different Hispanic food was brought out so they could try a little bit of everything. Curly was used to this type of food and he ate vigorously, but Pony took his time because he hasn’t had authentic Hispanic food before. The flavors were more intense than he was used to, but they were good and interesting, much different from the normal American food he ate. Curly watched over his food as Pony sipped at some horchata and smiled softly when Pony kept making different expressions with every sip. It was obvious Pony hasn’t had this type of food and drinks before, but he seemed to like it overall. Pony started asking all types of questions about the food and how it was made and where exactly did it originate and that it was really good and Curly let him keep talking, only nodding and humming in agreement. Talking wasn’t one of Curly’s strong suits and the gentle lift of Pony’s voice made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Pony saw the rare soft expression on Curly’s face and his heart began beating faster in his chest. He could easily fall in love with Curly’s smile. Actually, he could easily fall in love with Curly. And that’s exactly what was happening; both boys looking into each other’s eyes and laughing and enjoying their time together and both realized that they were falling in love. 

——

After stuffing themselves full of all types of food, it was beginning to get darker outside. It was time to take Ponyboy home. On the drive there, they continued to keep talking about everything and anything, but this time Curly was talking just a little bit more. About his life, his friends, his family, all of his stories of getting in trouble. Curly noticed that talking about feeling and that mushy crap wasn’t half bad as long as it was with Ponyboy. Pony never made Curly feel like he was weak for talking about personal things or ridiculed him as his brother would have. It was refreshing. 

Curly pulled up beside the Curtis house and made his way to open Pony’s door for him. Pony giggled in response- Curly made him feel so nice and special. The loud rumble of the Mustang engine turning off had instantly alerted the entire gang inside and they all raced to the window to see what was happening… even Darry, who only just got home maybe an hour before Pony. They all warily watched as Pony and Curly strolled to the steps in front of the front door- they were talking to each other but they couldn’t make out what was being said. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw next.

“Curly, this was an amazing date, I don’t know what to say,” Pony looked up at Curly with adoration in his eyes, “I had a really great time, Curls.”

Curly grinned, “I had fun too, Ponybaby. I … I really like hangin’ out with you.” Curly took a breathe and gently grabbed Pony’s hand, pulling their faces closer together, “and… I think I’d like it even more if we hang out as…. a, um… a couple. If-if that’s cool with you, and all, I, uh-“

“Curly.”

Curly looked at Pony and saw the boy's cheeks were rosy and soft hair falling into his eyes and petal-pink lips that were starting to get closer to his and-

The kiss was like every fantasy Pony ever had. Perfect, soft, and sweet. Curly’s lips fit perfectly against his and he felt the taller one place his hand on Pony’s hip, while Pony pushed himself closer and wrapped his arms around Curly’s neck. They broke apart for air, but not for long. This time the kids were more intense, Curly’s tongue softly opening Pony’s to lick the boy's sweet mouth, and Pony- that little tease, moved Curly’s hand a little farther south, settling it on the swell of his ass. 

Ponyboy broke away with eyes still closed and panting. He put a hand on Curly’s chest.

“I’ve gotta get inside…”

He stepped farther away, but Curly stopped him by tugging on his belt loop.

“Wait à sec… does… was that a yes? Are we… together..? Like… a couple..?”

Pony laughed a magical noise, something Curly would continue to dream about for days, and pressed a soft kiss to Curly’s lips then his cheek. 

“Yes, Curls, we’re now a couple. I’ll see you around, ‘Kay?”

Pony walked up the steps and left Curly’s side. Curly felt a little empty without Pony by his side, but also like heaven ‘cause Pony was his now. His everything. He couldn’t control the large grin as he got in the car and began driving to his a place to dump the mustang- he couldn’t go to jail now that he’s got a honey-like Ponyboy waiting for him- and starting to think of how many more memories he’d make with Pony, his boyfriend.

——

Pony stepped lightly through his front door, feeling floaty. That is until he looked up and saw the anger and disappointment radiating off of Darry and most of the gang. Pony shrank back against the door and wrapped Curly’s jacket to hide his revealing outfit from his older brother and gave a hesitant smile.

“H-hey, Darry, uh, how was work?”

“Ponyboy Michael Curtis.” Ouch. Not the full name. “What the hell did I just see outside? I know for a fact that it wasn’t my brother making out with Curly Shepherd. I know that wouldn’t happen because, as much as he doesn’t use his head, he would never do something so immature and inappropriate like kissing a no-good hood like Curly Shepherd, right, Ponyboy?” Darry’s glare was like pale ice cutting through Pony, making him squirm and look down in embarrassment.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dar-“

“Cut the bullshit, Ponyboy! Don’t you dare lie to me like that, after what the whole gang just saw!”

Pony jerked his head up to see the rest of the gang pretending not to watch what was happening even though they were all in the same room. Pony felt his face heat up hotly and embarrassed tears welled up in his eyes. 

“Darry, I- I’m old enough now to date and Curly isn’t like what you think, he’s different-“

“You definitely aren’t old enough to date if you decided to choose the lowest person to date and how do you even know what he’s like? He is a hood, Ponyboy. He cheats and lies and steals and goes to a reformatory. He probably doesn’t even like you like that, Pony, he’s probably just telling you all these lies to get into your pants! Do you want to be taken advantage of like that? Huh?”

Pony was never one to handle being yelled at with grace. Tears began streaming down his face and his nose began to run, making him rub his face miserably. But when Darry suggested that Curly would use him like that- he couldn’t handle the hurt he felt from his big brother- he started to sob, big shuddering breaths racking his frame. 

Darry quieted at the scene in front of him, but he still had narrowed eyes and said in a voice no one dared contradict, “You’re grounded, Ponyboy. Go to your room now.” 

Pony pushed past him, ignoring the stares of the gang, and ran into his warm, slamming the door and curling up with his face in a pillow and sobbing his little heart out. The events of the day caught up to him and he felt himself grow drowsy, small hiccups coming out of his mouth and eyes sore from all the tears, but even still, he fell into a fitful sleep and dreamt of pool tables, stolen mustangs, and dark eyes that made him feel safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Remember: Comment suggestions or requests and I will do my best to write them. Spicy and angsty requests are totally cool.


	5. Late night talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curly and Ponyboy talk throughout the night about what happened between Pony and Darry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Hi! I am so sorry about not updating in, like, forever, I had a major lack of motivation in life in general. I have not, and will not abandon this fic. This chapter is very small, but I thought y'all deserved a little something after waiting, and you guys can comment on how you want the story to go.

Ponyboy was jerked awake by small, sharp knocks on his window. Looking around the dark room, the only light came from under the door towards the living room where the rest of the Gang were still hanging out and from the moon through the window. His eyes narrowed and listened hard for any other noises. When none came, Pony sniffled and miserably snuggled under his blanket. Being awake made Pony think about Darry yelling at him and brought tears to his eyes, so he tried to force himself to sleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep, three sharp knocks clanged against the window. He scrambled up, his heart beating fast at the thought of some crazy person or scary creature trying to get into his home and attack him. He quickly grabbed the old bat he and Soda kept in their closet and slowly looked out the window. A head of curls and dark eyes looked back at him. Pony blinked and quietly opened the window.

“Cury!” He screamed-whispered, looking fearfully at his bedroom door, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? If the Gang finds you, who knows what they’ll do!”

Curly gave a little grin and began climbing in, “It’s alright, I can be quiet sometimes. I just… I couldn’t handle not seein’ ya...I missed yo- Hey, why are you crying?”

Pony looked up at Curly with large, watery eyes and a wobbling lip, “I-I just- and Darry- I missed you, too…” The little greaser broke down crying, covering his face as his body shook with sobs. 

Curly was alarmed, to say the least, and angry as hell at whoever made his Pony cry so hard. 

“Hey, hey,” He gently rubbed Pony’s arms and led him to sit down on the bed, “It-It’s alright, whatever it is, I’ll take care of ya’.”

Pony threw his arms around Curly’s neck, toppling Curly on his back with Pony burying into his chest. Curly sighed softly and began slowly running his hands through Pony’s hair, rubbing the bleach-blond tips as the younger boy shook with sobs. After a couple of moments full of Curly’s sweet whispers, Pony calmed down enough for him to explain what happened. 

“When I came home-” he sniffled, rubbing his tears away, “When I came home, the Gang saw us...and they weren’t happy, especially Darry, but he’s never happy when I’m involved.” 

Curly said nothing, just offering silent comfort by absentmindedly caressing any part of Pony’s body he could and listening intently. 

Pony took a shuddering deep breath and continued, “He started yellin’ at me about it all… in front of the Gang, too! He-he kept on goin’ about how you’re a hood and all the things you do and how you’ll just get me into trouble and how you’re only gonna use me…” Pony started crying harder, gripping onto Curly’s shirt like it was the only thing he could do. 

Curly was pissed. How could Darry make little Pony cry like he is and not feel like shit and how dare he assume he knew Curly. Sure, Curly did steal and lie, but he would NEVER do any of those to Ponyboy. Just like how he would never, ever cheat on the only boy who made Curly feel like this. He vowed to make the older Curtis’ and the Curtis Gang see that he cared about Pony in every way possible. But now wasn’t the time for that, Curly needed to comfort his boyfriend. 

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, baby. Don’t let big brother Curtis get to ya’, I’m here,” He gently lifted Pony’s chin to look up at him as the boy sniffled and whimpered, “And, whenever you need or want me, just holler and I’ll come a-runnin’. Curly gave a large grin, making Pony giggle softly even though a couple of tears continued to run down. Curly wiped them away and Pony leaned into his hand, placing a small kiss onto Curly’s palm. 

“Are you alright now, doll? No more cryin’ over your stupid brother, we’ll show ‘em how great we are, you just wait.”

Pony nodded and snuggled back into Curly’s arms. Curly placed a kiss onto Pony’s head and was about to get more comfortable, but loud laughter and a scuffling from the living room made both of them jump. Pony sighed deeply and pushed off of Curly’s chest. 

“I think,” Pony lowered his eyes and toyed with the edges of his blanket, “you should probably go home. Soda will almost be ready for bed soon and it won’t be good if he sees us in bed together.”

Curly considered it for a minute and got off the bed slowly and made his way back to the window. A tug on his sleeve made him turn around to see Pony’s large green eyes looking into his. 

“I...I wish you could stay…”

Curly said nothing, but took Ponyboy’s hand in his and laid a gentle kiss onto his palm and pressed it to his cheek. 

“Hey,” Curly softly grinned, “Don’t worry about anything, doll. Just leave it up to your man - which is me - and we’ll show everybody how great our love is. Like in all those, uh, books and poems you read!”

“Curly, have you ever even read any books or poems?”

“Um,” Curly floundered a bit before perking up, “I read the book you got me, yeah.”

Pony snorted, hiding his laugh behind his hand. Curly’s heart melted every time he heard Pony’s laugh. 

“Well,” Curly absentmindedly rubbed the back of his boyfriend’s hand, “How about I see you tomorrow?”

“I-I don’t know. I have school tomorrow and normally the one of the Gang picks me up after.”

“Sucks for them. I’ll pick you up and take you home, safe and sound, so, then, your gang will see that I am a perfect gentleman and deserve to be your man.”

“Um…”

“Great! It’s decided, baby! Together we’ll show all those bastards how fucking amazing we are together and no one can prove us wrong!” 

Curly laughed, pressed a quick kiss to Pony’s lips, and hopped out the window into the night. 

Before Pony could comprehend what was the whirlwind of Curly Shepard, the door creaked open to reveal Soda’s tired figure. 

“Pones?” Soda rubbed his eyes, “Pones, what ya’ doin’ over there? Come on, it’s sleep time…” 

Soda flopped into bed and climbed under the covers, “Pony?”

“Oh, uh,” Pony closed the window and looked at his older brother apologetically, “Sorry, I thought I heard something outside…”

“Mmm, probably some cat or somethin’... Get over here, ‘m tired.”

Pony made his way to the bed and huddled as far from Soda as possible. 

“What are ya’ doing all the way over there, Pones?”

“I...I thought you were still mad at me… for earlier…” Pony’s cheeks heated up and he hid his eyes under his blanket. Soda looked at his brother’s small form under the blanket and sighed. He threw his arm over Pony.

“I ain’t mad at ya’, Pones. Surprised? Sure. Worried? Definitely. But mad? I could never be mad at you, you’re my baby brother… Which is exactly why I’m not gonna tell Darry that Curly Shepard was in the room with you alone in the middle of the night.”

Pony quickly poked his head out the blanket with a horrified expression, “Soda, I swear nothing happened, we were just talking’-”

“I know. That’s why I won’t say nothing, but Ponyboy, I’m serious right now. Curly is a whole different breed than you, he has done a lot of stuff that Darry or I don’t want you involved in.”

“Curly’s not like that!” Pony whispered, staring at his brother imploringly, “He’s not like that...He wouldn’t get me in trouble for nothing like that.”

“Well, from what I heard, he sounds like he’s not super, super, super bad like I thought, but still. I’ll give him a chance and I’ll try my best to get Darry on the idea, but- Pony, listen.”

Pony had a large grin on his face and he was practically vibrating in his spot. He tried to reign in his excitement. 

“Pones, I’ll try my best, but if he ever, EVER, tries to mess with you or hurts you in any way, you tell the Gang. No ifs, and, or buts, you tell us, got it?”

Pony nodded with a small smile and cuddled closer to Soda, “Thanks, Soda. G’Night, love you.”

Soda scoffed and wrapped his arms around Pony. ‘Ma, Dad, I hope I’m making the right choice.’ he thought before falling asleep, thinking about the times when Pony was younger and followed everywhere Soda and Darry went, and now he was following Curly of all people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Remember to comment!!


	6. School's On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pony and Curly at school together can only lead to so much before drama happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I apologize for how long this has taken; I have started college and my first job and both take a lot of energy and time, so. I really do want to keep going with this fic, it just might take longer to upload because of my schedule. It takes a couple of days to just make a chapter because I am planning everything as it goes along. but if anyone has requests, I would love to hear them and I will try to write them as soon as I can.

Getting up was a struggle and a half. Mondays always felt tiring and Pony felt no different. He stumbled from the bed where Soda was still snoring and blearily made his way about the house, getting ready for school. Hopefully, he could get done before Darry woke up- Pony really did not want to see his older brother today. Quickly throwing on a simple hoodie and jeans and slightly greasing his hair back, Ponyboy decided to skip breakfast and make his way onto the porch, waiting for one of the Gang to take him to school.  
A few moments later, Two-Bit’s rinky-dink truck, held only together with duct tape and hope, shuttered into the driveway.   
“Hey, hey, Pones! Hop on in the state-of-the-art limousine for hoods, driven by yours truly, the best chauffeur around, Two-Bit Mathews!” He hollered, sticking his head out of the window and grinning. Pony rolled his eyes, but gave a smile and climbed in.   
They pulled out the driveway and headed to the school, praying that Two-Bit’s truck held together long enough to get there. The air-only held the noise of the radio and Two-Bit’s inane chatter. Ponyboy was hardly a morning person, so he never really spoke much in the morning. Too much work. Finally reaching the school and trying to avoid the rushing high school teens running around, Pony quickly gathered his things, said “I’ve already got someone picking me up, so don’t bother, see you around, bye!” and rushed into the school.  
Two-Bit thought about who was going to pick up Pony; normally, it was Two-Bit and, if not, one of the Gang would have said something. An idea dawned on him about a certain hood picking up Pony, making him pause. He cringed and began his trek into the school building; he really hoped Pony wasn’t making a mistake.   
Ponyboy slammed his locker shut, adjusting his book bag to hold his books for his upcoming classes. The first-period class was history, which was always terrible to do in the mornings because of how insanely boring it was. The teacher’s old drone of a voice made the whole class begin to nod off. Pony entered the class and found a seat by the window, so he could at least look at how nice it was outside.   
“Alright, class,” the teacher sat heavily at his desk, “it’s Monday, I don’t care, you don’t care, just do the textbook questions on page 68 and turn in whatever you finish.” He began chugging his thermos full of, hopefully, coffee.  
Ponyboy sighed with relief; thank God it was only textbook questions and not a whole lesson. He pulled out his textbook, some paper, and a pen and began writing answers in his neat cursive scrawl as the minutes ticked by. What Ponyboy wasn’t expecting was that once the bell rang, the door was kicked open, revealing a grinning Curly with his hands stuffed in his pockets.   
“Hey, hey, Ponybaby!”  
Pony’s jaw dropped along with his pen.   
“Curly?! What are you doing?”   
Curly snickered and picked up his boyfriend’s pen, “I decided to be a good student and change my ways.”  
Pony pursed his lips and rolled his eyes as he packed away his things. All of the other students were slowly trailing out of class, but not without quiet whispers being spread about the local bad boy and Pony.   
“Seriously, though, Pony started walking out the door with Curly beside him, “I almost never see you at school, so what’s up with you today?”  
Curly shrugged and lightly shoved Pony into the lockers beside them and bent down to his level, almost touching noses.  
“I just thought we could spend some time together is all. Is that too much of a guy to ask for? Hm?”  
Pony’s face began heating up as Curly’s dark eyes pierced his own and the scent of Curly’s cologne reached Pony. Glancing around, Ponyboy noticed that almost all of the hallway were staring at the two, whispering to each other and some snickering or even sneering. Ponyboy’s face got even hotter as he began to slightly move away, “Curly, this is school, not the bedroom, people are staring!” He whispered.  
Curly gave a devilish grin and leaned in closer, closing Pony in with his arms on both sides of his head, “Let them look.” He kissed Pony once, twice, a third time, and probably more forever if they didn’t hear the commotion of a teacher getting closer, yelling at the students to get to class. Curly pulled away just in time, revealing a dazed Ponyboy with a blush on his face, grabbed his boyfriend’s hand, and began walking down the hall to Pony’s next class. The students in the hall quickly parted for the two, none daring to cross Curly’s path; he made it very clear that Ponyboy was his and no one is allowed to mess with him.   
Outside the door of Ponyboy’s class, Curly told Pony he would leave for a few, but be back in time for lunch, so that Ponyboy had the privilege of eating with Curly. He left a quick peck on Pony’s lips again and ran down the hall before a teacher could grab a hold of him and force him to learn something.   
‘Okaaayy, then,’ Pony thought as he started getting ready for class, the perfect picture of a perfect student with greased back hair. He had no time to think of Curly or the kisses he left, it was time to learn about science… no matter how much he wanted to. 

\---

Curly hotwired some Soc’s mustang and drove it to the Dingo, which is where Big Brother number two was. Exactly the man Curly was looking for. His plan was to hopefully win over every individual member of the Curtis gang, and make them see how amazing he was and how he and Ponyboy were meant to be. Parking the car, Curly hopped out and swaggered into the little gas station. He could already see Big Brother Sodapop working behind the counter, ringing up some things for a swooning squad of girls who were all but drooling at Soda’s jokes and movie actor smile. The bell above the door rang, announcing a new customer and Soda looked up with a “Hi, welcome to the-” but stopped mid-sentence at seeing it was nobody important. The girls took their things and quickly left, sensing the atmosphere around the two greasers and wrinkling their noses at Curly’s rough edges and standard bad boy look.   
Soda leaned on the counter with a glare at Curly, “What do you want, Shepard? Here to try to rob the place again?”  
“Nope,” Curly snickered, “I just wanted to say hi to you and Stevey boy, is all. And buy a Pepsi, if that’s alright with you, your royal highness.”   
Soda glared some more but slowly rang up a Pepsi anyways.   
“I know about you and Pones, already, Curly,” Soda began, not looking at Curly, “I don’t know what my brother sees in you, like, at all, like, none,”  
“Yeah, alright, I get it, geez,”   
“Shut up and let me finish.”  
Curly raised his hands and gestured for Soda to continue.  
Soda rolled his eyes, “Like I said, I don’t know why he likes you, but he does. A lot. Saw him doodling your name in his little drawing notebook. I don’t think you’re worth being with Ponyboy, but I heard you taking care of him the night Darry got onto him. You made him feel better and feel safe, which… is a good start.”  
Curly smiled and was about to say something cocky probably, but Soda was not having any of that.  
“Don’t. Listen, I am willing to give you a small, small, small, tiny, minuscule, micro chance… for Pony’s sake. You and he are two very different people; he hasn’t done any of the illegal, terrible ways of the Shepard’s gang, and he won’t. Do not, I repeat, do not even dare drag him into any drama or something dangerous that he has no business being in. Pony’s… sensitive, a lot more than is preferred on this side of the tracks. He can handle some stuff fine, sure, but still. He’s not built for the type of shit you get into and if you ever hurt him or put him in a bad situation or make him sad or uncomfortable or upset or even having any negative emotion, I and the whole rest of the Gang will come after you and we will be the last you see before we bury you, understand?” Soda finished, slamming the Pepsi on the counter. Curly stammered and he saw Steve’s head in the window of the garage, nodding with a glare of his own towards Curly. Soda already told Steve everything that had happened, and Steve decided that if Soda was willing to give Curly a chance, then he could too… but not without some intimidation here and there. Curly gave a shaky laugh, quickly grabbing the soda, “Y-yeah, totally, I got it, don’t do anything bad to Pony, yep, alright, have a good day, boys!” Curly quickly turned tail, hopping into his stolen Mustang and driving like the devil was after him.   
Soda huffed, while Steve came in, wiping his oil-stained hands on a rag.   
“So,” Steve started, “we still on board with him being with Ponyboy?”  
Sodapop sighed, “I don’t know, I guess we’ll see. I’m just worried about Pony and Darry, they ain’t ever seen eye to eye, but I think this will make it ten times worse.”   
Steve nodded quietly; he and Pony never really got along either, but seeing Pony getting yelled at and made cry didn’t really make Steve feel that great. Poor kid was in love- sure, in love with one of the worst greasers around- but still. Love hasn’t worked out for a lot of people in the Gang, actually no one in the gang, but Steve hoped Pony didn’t have to go through anything bad and could have a first love that treated him alright, and Soda loved Ponyboy and wanted him happy, so Steve supposed he’ll be there for Soda, which in turn, will be connected to Pony. Win, win. 

\----

Curly walked through the halls, looking for Pony’s class to wait for him to come out for lunch. Wandering around the school, looking for a sign of Ponyboy, and asking around, Curly easily gained the attention of the Socs around the school. Everyone at school knew who the Shepard’s gang was and who Curly Shepard was; more specifically, the Socs knew that Curly was Tim’s younger brother, and what better way to prove your strength than taking down Shepard the younger? Curly stopped wandering to look at a nearby bulletin board that had track meeting flyers. A soft smile graced his features after reading that his Ponybaby was second in command of the team’s leader. Apparently, he was also on the way to becoming the captain soon. A cleared throat made Curly stop his thoughts on the little greaser and turn around to see three Socs, sneering at him. Curly sighed. Normally, he was all for fighting with Socs and calling them names, but not this time around. He’s got a honey now, waiting for him to take him to lunch as a gentleman should.   
“Listen, fellas,” Curly smirked and raised his hands, “I don’t want any trouble, alright? I got class to go to soon, so if you don’t mind…”   
Curly attempted to walk past the Socs, but they roughly grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back into the lockers. A huff of air was forced out of Curly at the force of the shove and soon Curly and the Socs were being surrounded by students who needed to know what would happen next.   
“C’mon,” Curly straightened up and glared at the three assholes, “I’m not trying to start anything today, boys. Come back later, and then we’ll talk about me beating your asses.”  
The crowd ooooh’d, while the Socs glanced around a little nervously at all of the attention on them, except for the supposed leader who glared right back at Curly.   
“Too bad, Shepard. Rumor has it that you and that little blonde greaser were a thing. You know the one I’m talking about, right? Pretty green eyes and a juicy little ass,”   
Curly practically growled at that; no one is allowed to say anything like that about his Ponyboy.   
“You know,” the Soc continued, “If it wasn’t for that greasy hair, I would have mistaken him for something else, especially when he’s wearing those tight little sweaters of his…. But I don't think greasy hair will matter when he’s face-first into the bed, huh, Shepard?” The Soc and his cronies laughed, but none of the crowd joined them. All were staring and backing away from Curly who was the perfect picture of hardly restrained rage. Eyes glared, teeth clenched, and hands curled, Curly was ready to beat the ever-loving shit out of all three of the Socs. Just as Curly was about to take a step to run and sucker punch the leader, a voice was loudly heard behind the three Socs.   
“Hey, jackass!”  
The leader turned with a “huh?” and was met with Ponyboy slamming a heavy textbook into his nose. Blood instantly rushed out as the Soc cursed and held his nose. The two cronies didn’t know what to do exactly; go after the greaser or help their leader. The choice was made for them when Curly grabbed both their heads and banged them together, dropping the two Socs on the floor. A rough kick on the back of the legs of the leader from Pony made all three Socs on the ground, groaning. Curly grinned wildly at Pony and grabbed his hand to get them out of there before the principal came by. Both boys pushed past the crowd and made their way outside, running to Curly’s stolen car, giggling like hyenas.   
Curly started up the car and began driving to a nearby Sonic for lunch as he was still giggling.   
“Wow, Pones,” he laughed, “I-I didn’t know you had it in ya! And you hit him with a book, no less!” He laughed heartily. Pony giggled, tucking his books in the back seat,  
“Just because I don’t do it all the time, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to fight. I am a part of the Curtis gang, I know how to hold my own sometimes. And he was saying nasty stuff about me, which was so not cool; he deserved it.”  
Curly’s smile faded as he remembered the disgusting words the Soc had about Ponyboy.   
“I was completely ready to fight him for you, babe, honest. But, forget about him, I’m taking you for lunch! Oh! And, this is for you.”  
Curly handed the slightly messed up Pepsi bottle to Pony. Even though it was a little banged up, Pony accepted the bottle and he felt a little sappy from it, to be honest. Curly remembered how much he loved Pepsi and went out of his way to get him one.   
“Thank you, Curly,” he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Curly’s cheek, causing Curly to grin once again and turn on the radio, bobbing his head to the music. Pony laughed and languidly stuck his hand out the window, tapping the side of the car to the beat. Looking at Curly once again, Curly was the prime example of content, driving a stolen Mustang and listening to rock on the radio with his curls a little more untamed than normal, Pony’s chest got tight from how much love he felt for Curly in that small moment. After Pony looked away, Curly risked a glance and was a little overwhelmed at the emotions he felt looking at Pony who was relaxed in the seat next to him, leaned back with his hand out the window and bright sunlight making his hair seem lighter and eyes brighter than before while tapping his hand to the beat of the music. Curly has been with other people before, but he had never, ever felt like this before. He would readily give up everything for Ponyboy and he was okay with that feeling. Curly couldn’t shake the large smile off of his face, so instead he simply turned the radio up and drove a little faster; a sky full of blue and fluffy clouds, a stolen car, rocking radio, and their loves next to them was what heaven felt like for the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Remember comments/requests fuel the story, so don't be afraid to comment on what you would like to see. Have a good day!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If anyone has any requests for this ship, I would LOVE to try my hand at writing something for ya'll. I ADORE comments, so please don't be shy and just comment if you feel like it! Bye!


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